Notable Quotes of the Day

“It’s a national primary based on the worst foundation: Name identification and money. And we’re supposed to be the party of ideas.”

– Dave Nagle, former U.S. representative from Iowa

“When I hear the critique that our grassroots fundraising threshold catalyzed perverse behavior, with all due respect, we gave candidates unprecedented access to earned media, not just through the debates and the low threshold for getting on the debates, but we worked with CNN and MSNBC — don’t just do a town hall with the perceived front-runners, give everybody a shot.”

– Tom Perez, Democratic National Committee chairman

Democrats

• Seventeen Democratic candidates—Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Steve Bullock, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O'Rourke, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Joe Sestak, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, and Andrew Yang—attended the Polk County Steak Fry Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. 

• Bennet, Gabbard, Sanders, Sestak, Steyer, and Yang attended the Youth Voice forum co-sponsored by the Des Moines Register and Des Moines Public Schools Sunday.

• Booker campaign manager Addisu Demissie posted an internal memo to Medium on the state of Booker’s campaign. He wrote, “Here’s the bottom line: Cory 2020 needs to raise an additional $1.7 million by September 30 to be in a position to build the organization necessary to continue competing for the nomination. Without a fundraising surge to close out this quarter, we do not see a legitimate long-term path forward.”

• John Delaney was unable to appear at the Polk County Steak Fry because he was attending his daughter’s wedding.

• Gabbard received 2 percent support in a CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll Saturday, marking her third qualifying poll for the October debate. She needs one more to reach the polling threshold. 

• Harris spoke at the Charleston NAACP’s 102nd annual Freedom Fund Banquet in South Carolina Saturday.

• O’Rourke will campaign in Illinois and Indiana Monday. 

• Sanders proposed eliminating $81 billion in medical debt by having the federal government pay off past-due medical bills in collections, limiting debt collection practices, and reviewing the billing and collection practices of non-profit hospitals.

• Sanders held his first rally in Oklahoma Sunday with more than 4,000 attendees.

• Warren joined striking GM workers on the picket line in Detroit Sunday.

Republicans

• The Alaska Republican Party canceled its presidential primary Saturday, saying in a statement that it “would serve no useful purpose when we have an incumbent Republican president, such as President Trump, running for the Republican nomination for President."

• Donald Trump appeared with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Houston with 50,000 people registered to attend.

• Trump said Sunday that he had discussed corruption allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter, in a July phone call with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump said media reports that he pressured the Ukranian government to investigate Biden were false. Following initial reports about the phone call, Biden called it an abuse of power and called on Congress to investigate Trump's communications with Zelensky.

• Joe Walsh called for the impeachment of Trump on Twitter and in an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday.

• Mark Sanford and Bill Weld also appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday.

Flashback: September 23, 2015

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced the dates for the three general election presidential debates in 2016.